The effect of catnip on virtually all feline species is well known. Catnip or NEPATIA CATAIRA is a plant native to North America. The dry leaves of the catnip plant express a mint-like scent. Catnip has a hallucinogenic effect upon cats, although it is not toxic. This “catnip response” is due to the plant's active ingredient, NEPETALACTONE.
When a cat smells catnip, it characteristically exhibits a range of behaviors somewhat dependent upon the age of a cat and whether it is capable of reproduction. Most reactions last from five minutes to fifteen minutes and include sniffing, licking, chewing, chin and cheek rubbing, and head-over roll and body rubbing. The feline receptor to the active ingredient, NEPETALACTONE, is contained within the animal's vomeronasal organ located above the feline palate. The location of the vomeronasal organ may explain why cats do not react from eating gelatin capsules of catnip. NEPETALACTONE must be inhaled for it to reach the receptors in this organ.
Many pet toys intended for feline use contain catnip. However, many of these toys, in an attempt to insure that the catnip is not made accessible to the cat, imbed the catnip deeply within the toy thus negating its effect by limiting the intended “catnip response.” Other cat toys are intended for providing a nondestructive scratching platform providing the cat with a surface to enable the cat to carry out its innate scratching response.
It has been recognized that an ideal recreational toy for a cat would include a scratching surface as well as a relatively large catnip reservoir enabling the cat to both scratch and do so in conjunction with the anticipated “catnip response” encouraged by such a configuration.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a recreational pet toy for cats which has a relatively large surface area, a covering which is somewhat resistant to cat scratching activity and which can provide catnip odors to encourage the “catnip response” highly sought after by cat owners.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a recreational pet toy for cats which can be hung vertically such as from a doorknob while lying relatively flat against a vertical surface to provide a suitable cat scratching surface for a pet cat in conjunction with the dispensing of catnip odors.
These and further objects of the present invention will be more readily appreciated when considering the following disclosure and appended drawings.